Sarah, The Descendants 

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. (Hebrews 11: 11 12) 

When we talked about faith, we often focused on Abraham. Actually, the pressure was on Sarah too because she needed to go through the same trials as Abraham's wife. The Bible described that in order to give Abraham descendants, Sarah let Abraham receive her maid Hagar because she was too old to bear a child herself. So, Hagar conceived and gave birth to Ishmael. Then God and two angels appeared to Abraham as described below. 

They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Genesis 18: 9 to 15) 

So, Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac as God had promised. However, Sarah’s decision of giving Hagar to Abraham caused a conflict between herself and Hagar. When Isaac was weaned, Sarah said to Abraham as below. 

Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac (Genesis 21: 10) 

Even though Hagar and Ishmael were cast out; the conflict didn’t stop there. The descendants of Isaac, mainly Israelites, and the descendants of Ishmael, mainly Arabs, are still enemies against each other. It’s all because God blessed both Isaac and Ishmael to become big nations. Why was that? It seemed that God could easily prevent the conflict without blessing Ishmael. Or, let Sarah get conceived sooner so that there was no need for Hagar to give birth to Ishmael. That’s because God doesn’t think and do things like us as described below. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 8 9) 

When God promised Abraham and Sarah descendants, God wanted them to know that their descendants were not only many but also great, because they were born by faith. That’s why God sealed Sarah’s womb until she lost any hope of conceiving, until Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to conceive and give birth to Ishmael. That’s why when God told Sarah that she would conceive, Sarah laughed because that’s the last thing in her mind. That’s how desperate Sarah was. So, when Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac, her faith was reborn, a faith that’s not born by her own thoughts and ways but by God’s thoughts and ways, like described by Jesus as below. 

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19: 26) 

So, a nation of Israel was born by the faith of Sarah, not by flesh like Ismael from Hagar. Even though Sarah was much older than Hagar to give birth. However, after so many years of waiting, God energized Sarah’s faith beyond her weakness as described below. 

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40: 27 to 31)   

Even though the Israel nation was born by faith, its faith needed to be sharpened as described below. 

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27: 17) 

That’s why God blessed Ismael to sharpen the faith of Israelites. So, when Israelites disobeyed God and turned away from Him, God would send Ismael to sharpen them to wake up their faith to turn back. That’s God’s wisdom prepared for Israelites, the descendants of Abraham and Sarah born from faith. Emmanuel.